What Your Favorite Beer Says About You

What Your Favorite Beer Secretly Says About You

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You can learn a lot about a person through their cocktail of choice. Just imagine what crosses your mind when your first date orders a Cosmo versus, say, an Old Fashioned. The world of beer, however, is a bit less clear cut. Saison versus wheat beer. IPAs versus stouts. The differences aren’t always that obvious. However, what’s in your glass can say a lot about you. Dubbing ourselves temporary anthropologists, we’ve listed out what that table next to you is thinking when you place your beer order.

To break it down for you, we’ve listed out the beers you need to know, when to drink them, and most importantly, what your choice in beer voices about your personality. To aid in our guide, we called upon Natasha David, the powerhouse behind New York speakeasy Nitecap, to help us. Without further ado, here’s what your go-to brew says about you. (Dr. Seuss-style rhyming unintentional.)

Lager

Brooklyn Brewery

“Lagers are easy going and laid-back,” says David. “Perfect for decompressing at happy hour with friends after work, perfect for a hot summer day doing yard work, pairs with just about any food.” It’s a no-fuss, no-frills beer. The guy drinking the lager isn’t looking to impress anyone. If he’s drinking a Yuengling or a Budweiser, he probably doesn’t like change too much. Most likely, he’s restocked the same case of the lager in his fridge since college and will happily challenge you to a game of Beer Pong (he’s very good). But not all lagers are for the former frat fans: if you’re looking for something damn cold and damn refreshing, try something from Brooklyn Brewery or Sam Adams’ Boston Lager. It’s the no-frills cure for a long day.

Sour

Peace Tree Brewing

If you’re ordering a gose (pronounced goz-uh) you’re quirky. You’re known to book spontaneous trips, you probably have an impressive and obscure record collection, and damn right you’re going to order a beer described as “funky.” Sour, or gose, beers are not for the faint of heart: They’re tart, acidic, and well, sour. If you’re one to order sours, you probably fiended Sour Patch Kids or Warheads as a young one. “Sour beers aren't for everyone, but they might be my favorite.” She explains, “The tartness of the beer really wakes the soul up!”

Saison

New Belgium

Your average Saison drinker knows what’s up. Saison beers aren’t exactly on most people’s radars and only appear on beer lists worth their salt, so the Saison drinker is probably a seasoned beer nerd or a serious foodie. They’ve read about Saisons online or they were introduced by an equally seasoned friend. Most likely, they got turned on to Saison vis a vis a semester abroad, which they will gladly tell you about.

Slightly more carbonic than your regular pale ale, Saisons boast delicious notes of fruit and spice with a good hint of quirkiness to them. In a good Saison, you’re going to find all the crisp carbonation of a good Champagne.

You’ll find most of your Saisons coming out of Belgium, but American breweries like New Belgium are pouring out delicious Saisons on this side of the pond.

India Pale Ale

Cigar City Brewing

IPA’s hoppy, punch flavor has built the beer a cult following. They’re not for everyone — the bitterness of the hops and the higher alcohol content doesn’t exactly make for an easy sipping beer. But once you’re an IPA fiend (or, as they’re called, “hop heads”) you’re not switching back to other beers. Meaning, the guy drinking the IPA is stubborn. He knows what he likes. IPA might’ve been the first craft beer he ever tried and why switch from something that works?

If you’re a Double IPA drinker, you either really like hops or you pick your beer based on ABV. Riffing off the original IPA recipe from when British troops would send the ale over to India a few centuries back, Jai Alai balances notes of bright, tropical fruits with IPA’s signature bitter hoppiness.

Stout

Deschutes Brewery

You probably like your coffee black. You may have even backpacked through Ireland in your youth. Full of complex, rich flavors, stouts are for the guy who likes a lot of flavor but isn’t exactly adventurous. A stout is like a hug — it’s warm and comforting and best sipped on a cold day.

“There's something truly comforting about sipping of a stout. Yes, it's ice cold, but it's warming at the same time," explains David. "While there is nothing wrong with enjoying one in the summer, a stout is truly a cold-weather beer.”

While you can never go wrong with a frothy Guinness, Deschutes Obsidian Stout is well worth branching out of your comfort zone for. It’s rich, robust and boasts luscious notes of chocolate and espresso that aren’t overwhelmed with sweetness.

Wheat Beer

Bell's Brewery

Made with wheat malt, the citrus heavy beer is the ultimate summer beer. Meaning, it’s best sipped poolside, at a ballgame, or on the sunniest patio your neighborhood can offer.

“Super refreshing,” says David. “Must be ICE cold. Great with a big beautiful salad or a cheeseburger.”

Since it’s lower ABV than your standard beer, it is the perfect brew for the outgoing guy who wants to day drink but isn’t in college anymore, and has graduated beyond PBR. Though keep in mind, while wheat beer sounds very craft, it’s very much the training wheels of the craft beer world — a wheat beer tends to be the first "craft" beer people try. While Blue Moon is the wheat beer you’re going to encounter most, do check out Bell’s Oberon for a lesser known wheat beer with fruitier tendencies, or Sam Adams’ seasonal for an ever-changing rotation of crisp, summer-ready brews.

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